Package-sealing machine



No 749,681. PATENTED JAN.'12, 1904. R. F. w. BBARDSLEY.

PACKAGE SEALING MACHINE.

' APPLICATION-FILED 11.12, 1902.

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No. 749,681. 7 PATENTED JAN. 12, 1904. R. P; W. BEARDSLEY. PACKAGESEALING MACHINE.

APPLIOA TION mmn MAR. 12, 19oz. no menu. Y

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11v VEN r01? J ZII l/l Illa PATENTED JAN, 12', 1904.-

R. P. W. BEARDSLBY. PACKAGE SEALING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAB. 1 2, 1902.

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APPLICATION FILED IAB. 12, 1902.

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'I'l/(IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII IN VE N701? Wyn/Ma W/ TNE SSE S ATTORNEY m:Noam; warms co .mnmo-unm. wAsmNu No. 749,681. PATENTED JAN. 12, 1904.

R. F. W. BEARDSLEY.

PACKAGE SEALING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAB.12,-1902. no Mom-1L. a sums-slum a.

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UNITED STATES] Patented January 12, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT F. W. BEARDSLEY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF FOUR- FIFTHSTO ROSE LEVY, LYDIA LEVY, HARRY D. LEVY, AND BERTRAM E. NUSSBAUM, OFCHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

PACKAGE-SEALING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 749,681, dated January12, 1904.

Application filed March 12, 1902.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ROBERT F. W. BEARDS- LEY, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State ofIllinois, have invented a new and useful Package-Sealing Machine,ofwhich the following is a specification in its best form now known tome, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which similarnumerals indicate the same parts throughout the several views.

My invention relates to package or carton sealing machines; and theobject of my invention is to provide a machine on which the carton orthe package, eitherempty or filled, may be placed, which willautomatically fold successively the flaps constituting the end of thebox or carton and seal the same and deliver the carton at a desiredlocation.

My invention consists in a machine capable of automatically performingthe above functions.

It also consists in means for applying the glue or other adhesivematerial to the flaps of the carton in a neat manner without cloggingthe machine with refuse glue, and the application of this particularfeature of the invention is not to be understood as limited tocarton-sealing machines, as it is applicable to many forms of machinesin which cloth, paper, or some other material is to be pasted ontosomething else, or in which a gummed surface is moistened, as in thepasting of labels to boxes. This feature consists, preferably, in awheel or other adhesive material-carrier, whose sides are coated withglue or other adhesive material and means for holding the insides ofcertain flaps of the carton or other article to be glued, or have agummed surface moistened against the sides of the wheel by air or othergas pressure, thereby doing away with mechanism which can become dirtyand clogged with glue or other gum.

My invention consists in a machine adapted for use on both empty andfilled cartons capable of accomplishing all of the above-describedobjects 'which can be easily and .or runway 17.

Serial No. 97,948. (N0 model.)

cheaply made and economically operated without liability to clog or getout of order.

It also consists of many details of construction hereinafter more fullydescribed and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents a side elevation, and Fig. 2 a planview, of a machine embodying my invention. Figs. 3,4, and 5 show,respectively, the carton in difierent positions of the machine and theposition of the corresponding parts after the first, second,-

and third flaps have been successively closed in. Fig. 6 represents adetail view of the airvalve. Figs. 7 and 8 are respectively rear andside detail views of the cartonclosing mechanism shown with a cup foruse of filled packages. Fig. 9' is a sectional view taken on line 9 ofFig, 8. Figs. 10 and 11 represent front and side views of the same withmechanism adapted for empty instead of filled cartons and mechanism forpressing down the flaps of the carton after the glue has been appliedthereto, whereby they are held tight together long enough for the glueto set. Fig. 12 is a sectional view on line 12 of Fig. 11.

Again referring to the drawings, 15 represents upright posts, and 16 thehorizontal members of a table-frame supporting grooved runways or guides17. Mounted on suitable brackets at either end of this table aresprocketwheels 18 and 19, over which passes an endless sprocket-chain20, guided by the groove This sprocket-chain is driven by a suitablebelting or other mechanism (not shown) attached to a pulley 56, mountedon the side of frame 16 and connected by a belt and the pulley 29,mounted on the same shaft as the sprocket-wheel 19, over which the chainpasses. Also mounted on the frame 16 of the table are two other pulleys23 and 24, over which passes an endless conveyer-belt 25. The locationsof these pulleys 23 and 24. are so arranged that the belt 25 is directlyunder the sprocket-chain 20, and the belt 25 is inclined, as shown. At23 the belt 25 is but a little below the carton as it comes around onthe under side of the sprocket-chain 20 in the manner hereinafterdescribed, and the lower end of the belt 25 is low enough so that thecarton will while resting on the belt 25 have entirely cleared itselffrom the carton-holders 98, to be hereinafter described, attached to thesprocket-chain 20, before it reaches the lower end ofthe belt. Thisconveyer-belt 25 is preferably driven by a belt 27, passing over pulley28 on the shaft of wheel 23 and pulley 29 on the shaft of sprocket 19.The shaft 30, on which wheels 19 and 29 are mounted, as above described,is slidably mounted on a horizontal surface 31 and is under control of ahand-wheel 32, connected to it by a screw 33, so that by turning thehand-wheel 32 the sprocket-chain 20 may be adjusted to the propertension.

Mounted on the side of the table 16 at the location shown is astationary cam 35, shaped as shown, over which cross-rods 36 are adaptedto pass. Rising from the table-frame 16 and secured by bolts 38 or othersuitable mechanism are uprights 39, supporting the glue-pot 41. On theunder side of this gluepot is a long straight flap-closing bar 43,having its end rounded in a curve 44, as shown, the bar acting as a camfor closing one ofthe flaps of the carton in a manner hereinafter to bedescribed.

Rising from the table 16 and secured to it by the bolts 46 and 47 arethe upright supports 48, carrying at their upper ends a journal-box 49,in which is journaled a shaft 50, carrying a pair of glue-wheels 52,disposed on opposite sides of cam-bar 43. These wheels pass through oneside of the glue-box 41 in the usual manner of such wheels when used inautomatic machinery for gumming paper. These glue-wheels are driven by abelt 55, passing over the pulley 56, heretofore described.

Mounted below the table 16 on suitable hangers, as 62 and 63, is anair-tank 65, entering one end of which is a pipe 66, connected at itsouter end to a suitable source of steam-supply and at its inner end to asteamcoil (not shown) in the tank 65. This steamcoil is also connectedby a pipe 68 to the steamcoil (notshown) located in the glue-pot 41. Thepipe from this latter coil exhausts into the air or may be trapped backto the boiler,

- if desired. Entering the other end of the tank is a pipe 70, connectedat its outer end to a suitable source of compressed-air supply.Emerging' from this air-tank 65 is an air-pipe 71, which passes up theside of the table and through the air-valve 72 into a pipe 73, which iscarried up over the support 74 at the top of the glue-pot, where thepipe forks into the branches 76 and 77, the ends terminating in thenozzles 75, having their orifices directed against the outer surfaces ofthe gluewheels 52, as shown.

The air-valve 72, above referred to, is shown in detail in Fig. 6 andconsists of a rod 80,

entering pipe 73 in such a Way as to close the end of pipe 71 and is sojournaled in a seat 81, mounted on the table 16, that it can turn on itsvertical axis inside of the pipe 72. In the upper end of this rod is anair-passage 82, connecting the pipe 71 and the pipe 73 in such a waythat when the rod is given a partial rotation this air-passage will beclosed by the pipe 7 3. On this rod is a coil-spring 84, having itslower end secured to a trip-lever 85, rigidly secured to rod 80, adaptedto be engaged by a projecting rod 86 on the side of the carton-holder inthe manner to be hereinafter described. The upper end of spring 84 issecured at 87 to pipe 73. In normal position the valve is closed, andwhen this triplever is turned about a quarter of a revolution it turnsthe rod 80 against the action of spring 84 to the position shown in Fig.6, when the valve is opened, and when-tlie lever is released the springturns the rod 80 back to its normal position and shuts off the air.

Secured to and rising from the table 16 is a support 88, having at titsupper end a cam 89, held down by a spring behind post 88, and thereforenot showing exactly, as the springs 94 and 95, operating on cam 93,control it in the manner to be hereinafter described. Also secured tothe table 16 and rising therefrom are two other supports 90 and 91,connected together at their top by a bar 92, on the under side of whichis a straight cam 93, connected to the bar 92 by the springs 94 and 95in such a way that when a roller passes under the cam 93 it is raisedslightly against the pressure of the springs 94 and 95.

Rigidly secured on opposite sides of the ma chine are two cams 78 and79, shaped as shown and adapted to be successively engaged by theclosing mechanism of the two side flaps in the manner to be hereinafterdescribed.

Rigidly secured on bases 97, which are detachably secured by screws orother convenient mechanism to the sprocket-chain 20, are carton-holders.In a case where the machine is desired to close the lower ends of anempty carton these holders take the form of a block of wood 98 of anexact size and shape to just fill the inside of the carton, asillustrated in Figs. 10, 11, and 12, so that the carton will slip overthem and the holder will just fill it, with the flaps which are to beclosed extending above the upper surface of the holder. Where, however,a filled package or carton is to be sealed, these holders take the formof a receptacle 99, as illustratedin Figs. 7, 8, and 9, in which thefilled package may be placed, the lower edges of the flaps to be closedbeing on exactly the same plane as the top of the formerly-describedholder when it was in use. In'the case where filled cartons are to beclosed the receptacle 99 is formed by the four upright strips 135, 136,137, and 138, rigidly secured to the base 139 and preferably havingtheir outer ends bent outward in the curves 140, so as to permit theready ICC lIC

insertion of the package. As the filled cartons special dischargemechanlsm is necessary.

When different-sized cartons are to be sealed, carton-holders of therequired dimensions are substituted. Extending from one side of the base139 is a rigid arm 86, passing through slot 125, adapted to engage andtrip the air-valve lever 85, heretofore described. In the case where oneend of an empty carton is to be sealed carton holders with differentsized blocks are substituted for use with cartons of difierentcross-sections. Where cartons of the same-sized section but of differentlengths are to be sealed, the holder is adjusted to fit them by movingthe stop 141, controlled by the screw 142, adapted .to move up and downin the slot 143 in the side of the block 98. In order to provide meansfor ejecting the empty cartons, which are not heavy enough to ejectthemselves as the filled cartons do, I provide an ejector-weight 145,adapted to move up and down in the slot 146 in block 98. From thisweight 145 are rigid arms 86, extending through slots 147 in the sidesof block 98 and also through slots 125 in the flap-closing fingers. Theends of these arms engage the carton to discharge it, and the end of onearm engages the lever 85 of the air-valve in the manner heretoforedescribed.

Pivoted to the rear of each of the above-described carton-holders at 100is a finger 101,

having its upper end bent in the form of an L 102, adapted to fit overthe top of the holder and close down the flap 104 of the carton. This L102 is forked, as shown in Fig. 5, with the notch 105 between theprongs. This finger 101 has extending from and at right angles to itslower portion an arm 107, terminating in the cross-rod 36, adapted toengage the cam 35. This cam is so arranged and located that when thecross-rod 36 passes over it the finger 101 will be forced toward thecarton-holder against the action of spring 106 and close in the flap 104and that as soon as the cross-rod 36 passes off from the cam 35 it willspring back under the action of spring 106 to its original position, asshown at position 0, Fig. 1, where it is entirely out of the way of theclosed flaps of the carton as they are afterward folded in. Pivoted at110 to one side of the carton-holder is another finger 111, controlledby a spring 115, bent near its end in the form of a U-shaped spring 112and having its upper end bent in the form of an L 113, adapted to closeone side flap 114. This L 113 carries on its top a roller 116, adaptedto engage the cam 89. Pivoted to the opposite side of the carton-holderat 118 is another finger 120, controlled by a spring 119 and having asimilar U-shaped spring 121 and L-shaped top 122 and roller 123, adaptedto pass under cam 93, all of these parts being adapted to operate on theopposite side flap 124. In the fingers 111 and 120 are vertical slots125,

through which the projecting rods 86 and 86, extending from the sides ofthe carton-holders, pass, as heretofore described.

It should be understood that the series of carton-holders abovedescribed are arranged along the sprocket-chain in series, as shown inFig. 1, and are so placed that as the machine operates they pass insuccession over the cam 35, under the cams 43, 89, and 93, past thelever 85, which operates the air-valve, and between the cams 78 and 79,and that in so doing they pass directly under the glue-wheels 52 I atsuch a height from them that the insides of the carton can be brought incontact with the sides of the wheels and given a coating of glue.

In the operation of the machine it is first equipped with a complete setof holders 98 or a complete set 99, depending on whether empty or filledcartons are to be sealed. Then steam heat is admitted into pipe 66through the coil in the tank 65, thereby heating the air in the tank.The steam then passes through the pipe 68 into the glue-pot 41, where itheats the glue in the manner heretofore described. Compressed air isthen admitted from a suitable source of supply through the pipe 70 intothe tank 65, where it is heated by the steam-coil just described andpasses into the pipe 71 up to the air-valve 72. Suitable power is nowapplied to the machine in such a way that the chain 20 moves so that thecarton-holders on the top of the table move toward the right when lookedat as in Fig. 1, while the bot tom of the chain 20 and the top of theconveyer-belt move toward the left, as shown in Fig. 1. Assuming thatthe machine has been equipped to close and seal empty cartons, theoperator now places such acarton upon one of the holders with all fourflaps up, as

shown on the single holder at position a, Fig..

1. The lower edges of the carton-flaps being now at a level with the topof the holder-block 98 and what will be the height of the inner cornersof the Us 102, 113, and 122 when the respective fingers operating saidLs are swung to a vertical position, the machine now carries this cartontoward the glue-pot. As the carton reaches-position b, Fig. 1, and thecrossrod 36 passes over the cam the finger 101 is swung to a verticalposition against the action of spring 107, and the rear flap 104 isswung in by the L-top 102 in the manner shown in Fig. 1. The carton iscarried in this position along the machine to the right until the frontflap 149 opposite the one 104 just closed in strikes against the edge 44.of the cam 43, which is so located that it will just close in this flap149 and allow the closed carton to pass under it. ,This is accomplishedbefore the cross-rod 36 has passed off from cam 35, which, as will beseen by an inspection of position Z), Fig. 1, happens very soon afterthe second flap has been folded in as just described. As soon ascross-rod 36 does pass off from cam 35 the finger 101 is forced back toits original position by the spring 106, the action being possiblebecause of the forked top 102 and slot 105, heretofore described. Thefront flap 149 having been folded in by the cam 43, as just described,is now held by said cam and in its turn holds the first flap 104 down,while the carton is moved along by the machine under the glue-pot towardthe glue-wheels 52, which are so placed, as shown in Fig. 2, that theirouter faces are slightly inside the line of travel of the inner faces ofthe Vertical side flaps 114 and 124 of the carton. As the carton iscarried past these glue-wheels the rod 86 trips the arm of theair-valve, which allows a sharp discharge of compressed air, preferablywarm, to pass through the nozzle 7 5, arranged as heretofore described,and to strike the outer faces of these side flaps of the carton, therebydriving them against the surfaces of the glue-wheels 52 and causing themto become coated with glue. As they are forced against these glue-wheelsby airpressure and not by mechanical means, there is nothing on themachine to become coated with refuse glue, and thus cause the machine toclog. As the rod 86 passes off from the arm 85 it is released and theair-valve closes in the manner heretofore described, thereby shuttingoff the supply of air and stopping waste. The carton, with itsglue-coated side flaps, now passes along in the position shown in Fig. 4and position 0, Fig. 1, until it passes beyond the end of cam 43, andfinger 111 strikes cam 8 and is forced up to the position shown in Fig.5, closing in flap 114. As will be seen from Fig. 2, this happens justbefore roller 116 strikes spring-cam 89. As soon as it does so thespring of the cam forces the L-top 113 down against the action of spring112, thereby pressing the glued flap 114 against flaps 104 and 149during the time the carton is passingunder cam 89. As soon as thecartonpasses cams 89 and 7 8 to position (Z, Fig. 1, the finger 111swings back under the action of spring 116 to its original position,(shown at the left of Fig. 10,-) leaving the three flaps 104, 149, and114 glued down and the fourth flap 124 standing vertical. The carton nowmoves along until finger 120 strikes cam 7 9 and is elevated to aVertical position, thereby closing in the last flap 124. As soon as thisis done roller 123 runs under cam 93, and the L-top 122 is pressed downon the sealed package until at position f, Fig. 1, cams 98 and 79 areboth passed and finger 120 swings back under the action of its spring toits original position, leaving the package sealed and ready tobe removedfrom the machine. This pressing down of the L-shaped tops during theprogress of sealing the packages, as just described, is renderednecessary by the fact that when one flap coated with glue is brought incontact with another flap not coated with glue they do not adheretightly and smoothly together unless there is considerable pressureexerted for quite a length of time, and the contact is not smooth anduniform unless the plate which does the pressing bears evenly on allpoints of the flap. The latter condition is obtained in this case byproviding a U-shaped spring on the finger which moves the L-shaped topbackward and forward, which spring al lows the L- shaped top to bedepressed, while remaining in a position always parallel to the top ofthe carton or parallel to its first position when the flap has beencompletely closed in. As stated, the carton is now at position f at theright-hand end of the top of the machine and could be removed by hand atthis point, if desired; but I prefer to remove it by gravity and thecarrier 25 in the manner hereinafter described. It is now at the pointwhere the sprocket-chain passes around the sprocketwheel 19 to the lowerside of the machine, and to prevent the carton falling off while thechain is passing around the seinicircumference of this wheel to position9 I place a cam 130 at the end of the machine, which cam is so shapedthat as the cross-rod 36 passes over it the finger 101 will be thrown upover the top of the carton and secure it to the carton-holder. This camcauses the finger to remain in this position until the carton has passedfrom the upright vertical position at f to the inverted verticalposition directly below it at Fig. 1. At about this point. the cam 130allows the cross-rod 36 to pass from it, and the finger 101 is thrownback out of the way under the action of spring 106. Thus the emptycarton is at liberty to slip off from the block 98 under the action ofweight 145 until it strikes the top of the carrier-belt 25. As themachine continues its motion this carton rests on this belt and isgradually carried by gravity and the weight 145 off from the holderuntil when it reaches the left-hand end of the machine it issufiiciently below the carton-holder to entirely clear it, when it willpass off from the belt 25 over wheel 24 into a convenient receptacle, orit may be removed by hand to a desired place. The empty carton-holdernow passes around wheel 18 and up to the original position a, whereanother empty carton is placed upon it, and the operation is repeated.hen it is desired to seal filled cartons in place of empty ones, it issimply necessary to change the form of holders, as heretofore described.

As heretofore stated, the use of air or gas pressure to bring the flapsof the carton into contact with the glue-wheels is entirely new, in sofar as I am aware, and I do not wish to be understood as limiting myselfto its use in a carton-closing machine.

I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the exact detailsof construction, which may be varied within reasonable limits withoutdeparting from the spirit of my invention.

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Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is

1. In mechanism of the class described, the combination of acarton-carrying plug or holder, a weight slidably mounted within theplug, and members connected to said weight extending outside the plug,adapted to engage the carton, whereby when said plug is inverted, theweight forces the carton from the plug.

2. In a carton-sealing machine, a holder adapted to carry a carton withits flaps raised,

pivoted fingers adjacent to said holder and held normally away from iteach adapted to close one flap of the carton, mechanism for successivelymoving said fingers whereby said flaps of the carton are successivelyclosed in and a Weight slidably mounted within said holder having a partadapted to bear against the carton and remove it from the holder whenthe same is turned to an inverted position, for the purposes described.

3. In a carton-sealing machine, the combination of, a holder adapted tocarry a carton, with its flaps raised through the machine, mechanism formoving said holder, pivoted L-shaped fingers adjacent to said holder,moving with it and normally held away from it,

each adapted to close in one flap of the ear-- nation of acarton-blank-holding block or plug, an L-shaped finger pivotally mountedto fold in a flap or carton on said plug, spring mechanism in theupright portion of said L-shaped finger adapted to allow the top of saidL-shaped finger to be depressed by any suitable means on the carton-flapwhich said finger closes in.

5. In a carton-sealing machine, the combination of a holder adapted toreceive and hold a carton with its flaps up, a finger 111 pivoted nearthe base. of said holder adapted to be moved toward the plug and cartonby any suitable means, a U-shaped spring 112 in the body of said finger,and an L-shaped top 114 extending from the top of the finger adapted tofold in the cartonflap,substantially as'shown and described.

6. In a carton-sealing machine, the combination of a table, acontinuously-moving carrier, aseries of carton-holders mounted on saidcarrier adapted to carry a carton, a finger pivoted to the base of oneof said cartonholders having an L-shaped top adapted to fit over a flapof the carton and hold it in when said finger is raised into contactwith said car- 'ton, mechanism for normally holding said finger awayfrom the carton, mechanism at the end of the machine for forcing saidfinger up against the carton and the L portion over the top of thecarton whereby the carton is held on the carton-holder while the carrieris passing from the top of the table with the holder upright to thebottom of the table with the holder and carton upon it in an invertedposition, and means for then releasing said finger for the purposes setforth.

ROBERT F. W. BEARDSLEY. Witnesses:

BERTRAM E. NUSSBAUM, DWIGHT B. CHEEVER.

